On Friday, in a story headlined “Crime study disputes immigration claims,” Larry Altman reports that the study shows there is no difference in criminal activity between legal and illegal immigrants. According to the article, the sample examined included only individuals who had been arrested.

The stated aim of the study was to examine the proposition “that illegal immigrants are more likely to engage in crime than legal immigrants.” It is difficult to understand how addressing only those who have been arrested tests the quoted proposition.

– ERNEST W. KING

Lennox

On Michelle Obama’s side

This is in reply to Friday’s letter to the editor by Alan Camou, who writers, “Michelle Obama is the epitome of the pitiful far left. ” If you think Michelle Obama is “far left,” you’ve gone so far to the right you can’t see the other side.

Let me start with the entire quote:

“What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something – for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I’ve seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it’s made me proud.”

Taken in its full context, it’s really not the evil anti-America drivel the right would want us to think. If Michelle Obama is guilty of anything it’s using a poor choice of words to convey her excitement over her husband’s campaign and the wave of support he has garnered from people in this country.

She has worked to help kids get that education Camou lists as one of the things that makes us such a great country. She has also helped young adults be successful after their education to become contributors to society. Why Camou brings up Venezuela is beyond me. Where in what she said gives him the impression she is a Hugo Chavez supporter and/or hates this country?

The fact is, she is none of the things he accused her of – it just sounds better to make her appear to be a hater of America for political reasons when in reality she is anything but. She has spent years in her career working to make things better in this country – something the people who twist her words don’t want others to know about her true character.

The Republicans jumped all over her words in an effort to discredit her and her husband’s campaign. I guess this would be necessary to do since Obama appears to be headed for the nomination and they fear he will end the eight years of Republican control in this country. How pathetic that the right-wing talking heads have nothing of substance to add to the campaigns going on and they have to resort to insinuating a candidate’s wife hates America based on words spoken out expressing excitement about her husband’s campaign.

Can we knock off the childish games and get back to issues again? This is exactly the kind of stuff that has kept Americans from focusing on the real issues facing this country and allowed us to get in the mess we are in today.

By the way, I’m not an Obama supporter. I’m an American who is sick and tired of the hysteria perpetuated by the right in attempts to keep real issues off the radar.

– REGINA SCHMITZ

Torrance

MTA has improved service

I take issue with your editorial of Feb. 17 titled “An inconvenient ride.”

Just last year the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority was named the best public transportation agency in the United States by the Public Transportation Professional Association. The changes and improvements made by the MTA have greatly improved service despite a shortage of funding from the state and the feds. These improvements include the addition of many express bus routes and the new articulated buses that provide more seating for passengers on the heavily traveled routes.

Not as visible is the modification of century-old routes carried out under the Metro Connections plan, which has been under way for several years and which continues to plan modifications to improve routing and service. This plan changes the grid system to a wheel and spoke system built around transit centers in order to get people to where they want to go more quickly and efficiently.

You also touched on the fare structure. Currently it recovers only 25 percent of what it costs to provide the service. This is the lowest cost recovery in the entire United States and it is the taxpayer who makes up the difference.

Yes, the Orange Line is a success because it was planned to be one. It is a busway that has been built on MTA-owned land. This lowered construction costs. Furthermore, it connects to the subway in North Hollywood.

Singapore, Korea, Japan, Paris and many other places in the world are all building subways because they are a very efficient and cost-effective way to move people. If not for Henry Waxman, we would have had the Wilshire Subway in place long ago under what is now the most crowded bus line in the country.